How private sector can shape TVET to bridge skills gap

Columnists

How private sector can shape TVET to bridge skills gap

Sunday, September 1, 2019 21:30

By RAJUL MALDE |

or Kenya to attain industrial nation status, she requires a workforce with the right skillset for the ever-changing technology and market landscape, and also capable of delivering high levels of productivity and innovation.

The common denominator of industrial economies is they have invested heavily in education systems that strongly emphasise technical skills. As such, they have been able to match the growing demand for new skillsets in a fast-evolving economic environment with the appropriate training models.

Kenya aspires to be an industrial nation by 2030, which is just a decade away. The question is whether we have been investing in the right skills to deliver the high levels of productivity and innovation needed to power an industrial economy.

The answer is, we still have some way to go.

Perhaps, a good starting point would be matching the kind of skills our training institutions are producing, with what the country needs to be a globally competitive and prosperous economy by 2030.

Unfortunately, there is a mismatch between what our universities are producing and what the economy, and more so, the private sector needs.

The government has, however, realized the need to address this situation and prioritized Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to address the skills gap in the market.

Since 2013 when the Technical Vocational Education and Training Act was enacted, the country has made positive strides in creating the right policy and regulatory environment for technical training. Technical training institutions are sprouting across the country.

This has seen TVET enrolment levels almost double from 127,691 in 2012 to 275,139 in 2017, a clear pointer to the pent up demand for technical vocational training in Kenya.

The next step is strengthening collaborative linkages between government and the private sector in driving the TVET agenda.

How does the private sector come in?

First, it offers a practical training platform where students can be exposed to the real world of industry and business.

Second, private sector can partner with tertiary institutions to develop specialised short-term practical courses, for example, on entrepreneurship, to further sharpen graduates’ business skills.

Third, government and private sector can collaborate in research targeting the changing market environment and consumer trends. This builds a valuable knowledge base that private sector and government can leverage to improve technical training and solve real economic problems.

A case in point is a partnership that Pwani Oil is about to conclude with Technical University of Mombasa (TUM). It involves among other things, offering TUM students practical industrial exposure to enhance their technical competence and prepare them for future life in the industrial and business world.

Private sector needs to play a more active role in developing the right skills to power the country’s quest to be an industrial economy.

The writer is commercial director, Pwani Oil Products Ltd.